The Astros weren’t there Cristian Javier the better part of three months because of the severity of his Grade 2 dislocated shoulder. The right-hander will return from the injured list this week but will do so in an unfamiliar environment.
Manager Joe Espada told reporters (including MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart and The Athletic’s Chandler Rome) that the Astros would use Javier as a trade. Although Espada has left the door open for him to return to the starting lineup at some point, he won’t play a swing role. The captain said Javier will be a “normal nurse” for now.
Javier hasn’t been out of the bullpen since May 8, 2022. He played a pinch hitter in the ’21 season but locked himself into the rotation with excellent numbers that year and the next. Houston signed him to a five-year, $64MM extension — then a record contract for a pitcher in his service class — on the heels of a 2.54 ERA showing in 2022.
That contract didn’t go as well as the team thought. Javier’s ERA rose by two runs the next season, even though he made 31 starts and struck out 159 batters. He underwent Tommy John surgery during the ’24 campaign, keeping him out until last August. Injuries have limited him to 18 big league games over the past two and a half seasons.
Javier will reach the end of his 30-day league adjustment window. He pitched well in that assignment, striking out 20 while allowing eight runs in 17 2/3 innings. His average fastball sits at 92.2 mph, about half a tick below his average before the shoulder injury. He pitched six innings and 85 pitches in his latest start on Saturday.
Apparently the Astros decided that Javier’s stuff wasn’t sharp enough to be worth disrupting their current rotation. They run a team of five people Hunter Brown, Tatsuya Imai, Mike Burrows, Spencer Arrighetti again Peter Lambert. No staff is more important than their ace, who recently returned from a shoulder injury. Lambert went from an offseason minor league signing to the team’s most valuable hitter in the first half. The other three starters were not good.
Burrows is the team leader in innings pitched but has a 5.58 ERA, the third-highest mark among professional starters. He is tied for fifth in home runs allowed and has seen his strikeout rate drop by six percent from last season in Pittsburgh. Arrighetti opened the season in Triple-A, won the AL Pitcher of the Month award in May, then drove in 25 runs in as many innings in June.
Imai averaged over four innings in his first MLB season. He pitched two straight to close out June, totaling 21 strikeouts and one walk over 12 innings of three-run ball. Another clunker followed tonight, as Imai walked five of the 13 batters he faced in a no-hitter in the second inning against the Twins. He gave up five runs in the 8-3 loss and is back to a 6.14 ERA on the season.
The Houston Bulls have struggled early but have been off lately. Only the Braves and Yankees had a lower bullpen ERA in June. Josh Hader, Steven Okert again Bryan King make an excellent trio from the left side. They still lack a reliable right-hand setup option Bryan Abreu again Another De Los Santos taunting. AJ Blubaugh he has been on the roster and could get short, high-profile assignments if the Astros use Javier in his long relief role.
Javier is making $21MM in salary and is owed the same amount through the 2027 season, the final year of his contract. That’s obviously not the right investment for a pitcher who can’t currently navigate this Houston rotation. MLBTR payroll estimates (courtesy of contributor Ethan Hullihen) have the Astros’ luxury tax number at $246MM, several million dollars above the base limit. Javier’s back-loaded contract comes with Houston’s $12.8MM cap hit but will also count for $21MM in annual value to the buyout team if traded.
The Astros are unlikely to find a taker for Javier’s entire salary given his recent injury history, but it is possible that another team interested in bringing him into the game will inquire with Houston’s front office about trade terms. They may be willing to pay a few million dollars – especially if the other party has no fancy tax worries and is only concerned about income – to create some flexibility against CBT to address other needs (eg.
Houston also plans to move the right arm Kai-Wei Teng return to the fold when he is healthy, said Espada. Teng recently went on the 15-day injured list, started on June 28, with a strained right knee. Houston had optioned him to Triple-A over the weekend but apparently found out he was injured while on the MLB roster. So he will go on the injured list but is not expected to miss much time and will transition to the bullpen after that.
Teng started the season in the bullpen. He pitched as a starter in May and found early success, but was hit for nearly eight runs in nine in June. Teng spent most of last year pitching in long relief at Triple-A for the Giants. His 64 major league innings this season is easily the best.
